On June
9, 2016, an armed squad of suspected Communist Party of
India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
cadres killed a man for allegedly resisting when two ‘commanders’
of the outfit tried to rape his wife in Aurangabad District.
Awadhesh Singh Bhokta was shot seven times by an AK-47
assault rifle at Gewal Bigha village in the Madanpur Police
Station area of the District. Giving details Bhokta’s
wife stated, “Maoist ‘commanders’ Prasadji and Nawalji
had been raping her for the last one month. This was opposed
by her husband. A dozen armed Maoists raided their house
on Thursday [June 9], picked up Bhokta, took him to a
secluded place and shot him dead.” The Maoists, meanwhile,
in some leaflets left behind, claimed that Bhokta was
killed for being a ‘police informer’. The leaflets also
threatened to teach a lesson to Aurangabad Member of Parliament
Sushil Kumar Singh and Member of Legislative Council Rajan
Kumar Singh. Aurangabad Superintendent of Police (SP)
Babu Ram, denying the Maoists charge, stated, “Maoists
have killed an innocent person. Their claim that Bhokta
was a police informer is baseless.”

On May
25, 2016, CPI-Maoist cadres killed two persons at Duaath
village in Gaya District. The slain persons were identified
as Sudesh Paswan, Dumaria Block (rural administrative
unit) president of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). The
other victim was Sunil Paswan, a cousin of the slain LJP
leader. The Maoists on June 2, 2016, claiming responsibility
for the incident, alleged that Sudesh was the 'ring leader
of Police informers'.

On May
21, 2016, the Maoists killed three villagers at Gadi village
in the Chakai area of Jamui District. Their bodies were
recovered by the Police on May 22. In a hand written pamphlet,
the Maoists claimed that they were ‘Police informers’
who facilitated the encounter killing of their leader
Ram Chandra Mahto aka Pramod aka Chirag
Da in Jamui District on January 29, 2016. Chirag was a
'special area committee' member of Northeast Bihar and
North Jharkhand Special Area Committee carrying two rewards
– INR 2.5 million announced by Jharkhand Government and
INR 0.5 million declared by Bihar Government.

Incidentally,
these three Districts – Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui – remain
the epicenter of Maoist-violence in Bihar. According to
partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal
(SATP), 14 persons, including seven civilians, two SF
personnel and five Maoists, have been killed in the State
during the current year (data till June 12, 2016); of
which 13 fatalities, including all seven civilians, one
of two SF troopers and five Maoists have been reported
from these three Districts alone.

Since the
formation of the CPI-Maoist on September 21, 2004, Bihar
has accounted for at least 632 Maoist-linked fatalities,
including 284 civilians, 175 SF personnel and 173 Maoists.
Of these, 269 fatalities (42.56 per cent of the total),
including 140 civilians, 79 SF personnel and 50 Maoists,
were recorded in these three Districts. The region has
been highly insecure for the civilian populace in terms
of Maoist violence, with 49.29 per cent of total civilian
fatalities recorded in such violence during this entire
period (since September 21, 2004) located in these Districts
alone.

Apart from
the CPI-Maoist, the Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC),
a Maoist splinter group operating out of Jharkhand, has
also made its presence felt in the region. Aurangabad-Gaya-Jamui,
in fact, have been the ground for a turf war between the
Maoists and the TPC cadres. According to the SATP database,
at least four TPC cadres and three Maoists have been killed
in six separate incidents of fratricidal killing since
2004. TPC cadres have also targeted Police and civilians
in the region, with four such incidents recorded thus
far. In the current year, on January 3, 2016, TPC cadres
assaulted two persons, identified as Ramvilas Ram and
Ramdeep Ram, 70-year-old father and brother, respectively,
of a sarpanch (head of panchayat, village
level local self-Government institution) in Aurangabad
District. The fear of a TPC backlash prevented the sarpanch
Ramji Ram from lodging a Police complaint after the assault.
The sarpanch said TPC cadres had demanded 20 per
cent of the grant sanctioned by the Government for welfare
schemes in his panchayat.

Unsurprisingly,
Aurangabad, Gaya and Jamui are among the 35 worst Naxal-[Left-Wing
Extremism (LWE)] - affected Districts identified by the
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) across the country.

These three
Districts are strategically located and close to the border
with Jharkhand, another severely Maoist-affected State.
The Garwah, Palamu, Chatra, Hazaribagh, Koderma and Giridih
Districts of Jharkhand, all LWE-affected, share borders
with these three Districts in Bihar. In the current year,
Jharkhand has thus far accounted for 36 LWE-linked fatalities,
including 11 civilians, eight SF personnel and 17 Maoists.

Backwardness,
poverty and poor governance continue to create pools of
potential violence in this region, and the Maoists have
been quick to tap into these reserves. A joint survey
conducted by the US-India Policy Institute and the New
Delhi based Centre for Research and Debates in Development
Policy found that among 599 Districts across India under
the purview of the survey, Jamui ranked near the bottom,
at 587; Gaya, 562nd and Aurangabad, 557th.
The report took composite development — measured in terms
of economic development and the indices of health, education
and material well-being – into consideration, and was
released on January 29, 2015. According to the Annual
Health Survey 2011-12, Bihar, the institutional delivery
rate in Gaya and Jamui are 42.8 and 42.9 per cent, respectively,
as against the State average of 51.9 per cent.

Bihar has
seen continuous and positive
developments in its counter-insurgency
campaigns through 2014 and 2015, though these have been
periodically undermined by political indecision and ambivalence.
The lack of political direction has brought misery to
the region, and particularly to its worst LWE-afflicted
Districts. It is imperative that a clear political will
enables and reinforces SF operations to bring enduring
peace and stability to the remaining areas of LWE influence
in the State.

On June
9, 2016, 68 cadres of the United Achik Liberation Army
(UALA) led by its ‘chairman’ Novembirth Marak bade farewell
to arms in an official disbanding ceremony held at the
SMELC Building at Dakopgre in the Tura area of West Garo
Hills District. "I appeal to other outfits to accept
the call of the government, join the mainstream and work
for the welfare of the Garo society," Marak stated
after the surrender. He also claimed that he had tried
to convince at least five other outfits to come together
and join the mainstream under the banner of A'chik Revolutionary
Front (ARF), but the plan failed to materialize.

Earlier,
on May 13, 2016, at least 24 Garo National Liberation
Army (GNLA)
cadres surrendered in a ceremony in Shillong, the State
capital. Among those who surrendered was 'action commander'
Hedeo Ch Momin, 'area commander,' Chingnang and 'deputy
area commander,' Sengrak M. Marak from the West Garo Hills
District ‘command’ of the outfit, as well as four personal
bodyguards of GNLA ‘commander-in-chief' Sohan D. Shira.
The militants also deposited a huge cache of weapons,
including two AK and one SLR rifles, two pistols, 1,304
rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition, 3,446 rounds of medium
machine gun ammunition, and incriminating documents. Hedeo
later revealed that the huge amounts of ammunition which
were purchased from Bangladesh were buried underground
by Sohan at Durama in West Garo Hills.

On May
9, 2016, at least 14 GNLA cadres, including the 'finance
secretary' Belding Marak aka Rakkam surrendered
in Shillong. The surrendered militants, most of who belonged
to the Nangalbibra area of East Garo Hills District, deposited
a cache of arms and ammunition, including four AK rifles,
one Heckler & Koch (HK) rifle, six pistols, grenades,
and VHF communication sets. A large quantity of GNLA documents,
including demand (extortion) letters, were also handed
over to Police.

On May
4, 2016, 14 cadres of the ‘Northern command’ of the GNLA,
including its ‘area commander’ Philiport D. Shira, along
with two cadres of the Independent faction of United Liberation
Front of Asom (ULFA-I)
surrendered to the Meghalaya Police. The cadres also deposited
a cache of weapons, including four AK and one INSAS rifles,
six pistols, one carbine, a grenade, 484 rounds of ammunition,
four handsets, incriminating documents and 19 illegal
SIM cards.

According
to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), a total of 181 militants [GNLA (84),
UALA (68), 11 each from A'chik Matgrik Elite Force (AMEF)
and Liberation of Achik Elite Force (LAEF), two each from
Achik National Liberation Army (ANLA) and Independent
faction of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I), and
one each from Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC),
Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC)
and United Garo Security Force (UGSF)] have surrendered
in the State during the current year (data till June 12,
2016). This adds to 67 surrenders through 2015 and 796
surrenders in 2014. The number of surrendered militants
was just at nine in 2013, 14 in 2012, 34 in 2011, 17 in
2010, 10 in 2009, 15 in 2008, 27 in 2007, 42 in 2006,
six in 2005, 73 in 2004, three in 2003, zero in 2002,
13 in 2001 and no surrenders in 2000. The significantly
high number of surrenders in 2014 was primarily due to
the disbanding of two factions of ANVC – 447 from ANVC
and 301 from its Breakaway faction (ANVC-B) at a function
at the Dikki-Bandi Stadium at Dakopgre in Tura in West
Garo Hills District on December 15, 2014.

According
to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UHMA) records
, the total number of militants surrendered in Meghalaya
in 2015 was 78; 733 in 2014; 10 in 2013; 20 in 2012; 39
in 2011; 27 in 2010; 20 in 2009; 14 in 2008; and 40 in
2007.

The acceleration
in surrenders since 2014 has been the result of counter-insurgency
(CI) operational successes. State Police Forces backed
by Central Forces jointly initiated an operation code-named
‘Operation Hill Storm-1’ on July 11, 2014, to flush out
militants from the interior areas of the Garo Hills, which
comprises of five Districts – West Garo Hills, East Garo
Hills, South West Garo Hills, South Garo Hills and North
Garo hills. The main aim of the operation was to deny
the extremists, mainly the GNLA and ULFA-I, any ‘comfort
zones’ in the region. The first phase ended on December
31, 2014. The Security Forces (SFs) launched the second
phase, ‘Operation Hill Storm-2’, on April 2, 2015, and
the operation lasted till June 6, 2015. ‘Operation Hill
Storm-3’ launched on February 25, 2016, is ongoing.

‘Operation
Hill Storm-1’ was launched in the aftermath of a sharp
increase in civilian fatalities and cases of abduction
and extortion in the Garo Hills region.

According
to SATP, during Operation Hill Storm-1, the Forces eliminated
at least 16 militants while losing six of their own personnel.
Under Operation Hill Storm-2, at least 17 militants were
neutralized and the number of SFs killed stood at four.
In the ongoing third phase of the Operation, at least
three militants have already been killed, while one SF
trooper has also lost his life.

Inspector
General of Police (IGP), in-charge of Law & Order
/ Operations, G.H.P. Raju stated on March 9, 2016, “As
many as four GNLA camps have been busted and SFs have
already recovered 70 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs),
1,475 electrical/non-electrical detonators and half a
kilogram of gelatine explosive materials during the current
phase of the operation.” Further, on May 13, 2016, he
disclosed that 130 GNLA militants had been arrested since
Operation Hill Storm-3 was launched. Earlier, SFs had
claimed that they had destroyed 12 major GNLA camps in
the East Garo Hills as a part of Operation Hill Storm-1,
and another five camps during the Operation Hill Storm-2,
along with several arrests and recoveries.

Clearly,
the SFs have established an upper hand and the militants
are feeling the heat. During the surrendering ceremony
on May 4, 2016, Philiport D. Shira stated, "There
have been serious internal conflicts within the GNLA after
Sohan D. Shira, the ‘military wing chief’, refused to
share extortion money with various commands. The other
reason for the entire command to surrender to the authorities
was pressure from the general public in the wake of counter-insurgency
operations in Garo Hills." Similarly, GNLA’s ‘action
commander’ Hedeo Ch Momin during the surrender ceremony
on May 13, 2016, admitted, “We were forced to surrender
since we cannot bear the brunt of the operation launched
by the state against us. We have not been able to stay
in one place but have always been on the run. We had to
remain alert all the time and in the process face a lot
of hardships.”

The security
environment in Meghalaya had started deteriorating from
2011, but has seen considerable improvement since the
launch of Operation Hill Storm. The number of civilian
fatalities in the State had risen from three in 2010 to
11 in 2011, and further to 27 in 2012, and 28 in 2013.
[Meghalaya recorded 29 civilian fatalities in 2002, the
highest ever in the State since 1992]. Civilian fatalities
came down to 23 in 2014 and further declined to 19 in
2015. The improvement continues as the total number of
civilians killed in the State during the current year
stands at five (data till June 12, 2016) as against seven
recorded during the corresponding period of the previous
year.

Troubles,
nevertheless, persist. On March 10, 2016, GNLA ‘publicity
secretary’ Garo Mandei Marak warned, “If Government of
Meghalaya doesn’t withdraw or stop the ongoing Operation
Hill Storm-3 against GNLA, then we will push the buttons
for serial blasts in all the five districts of Garo Hills.”
The outfit also threatened IGP Raju, Chief Minister Mukul
Sangma, along with non-governmental organizations and
Church elders, stating that the leaders would have to
bear the responsibility for the loss of life and property
that would take place. There have, however, been no attacks
reported so far, subsequent to the threat.

On April
18, 2016, ignoring the GNLA threat, the Meghalaya Government
decided to continue ‘Operation Hill Strom-3’ for another
six months. Announcing this, IGP Raju stated on April
18, 2016, “Additional Special Force-10 Commandos, who
are under intense commando training in jungle warfare,
would be inducted for special operations against these
militants to supplement the SWAT (Special Weapons and
Tactics) teams who are already involved in counter insurgency
operations in Garo Hills”. Moreover, on June 9, 2016,
Meghalaya Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Mehta
ruled out the possibility of holding talks with the GNLA.
“I think the most feasible way for the cadres of the GNLA
is to surrender than thinking of talks”, Mehta said, adding,
“Most of the cadres have already surrendered and my opinion
is that there should be no leeway for such a group.” SATP
data shows that at least 178 GNLA militants have surrendered
since 2010: 84 in 2016 (data till June 12), 23 in 2015,
27 in 2014, three in 2013, nine in 2012, 27 in 2011, and
five in 2010. The GNLA was formed in November 2009.

Meanwhile,
in January 2016, the Meghalaya Government also decided
to implement a proper scheme for the rehabilitation of
surrendered militants. The State Government decided to
turn the non functional Baljek Airport into a hub to house
surrendered militants. Further, Union Minister of State
for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, on May 4, 2016, stated
in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament)
that “The Government of India is implementing a Scheme
for Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation of Militants in the North-East…
Surrenderees are paid monthly stipend upto Rs. 4000/-
for a period of 36 months and an immediate grant upto
Rs. 2.5 lakhs is kept in a bank in the name of each surrenderee
as fixed deposit for a period of 3 years. Persons eligible
under the scheme are initially lodged in a Rehabilitation
camp where they are trained in a trade/ vocation of their
liking or befitting their aptitude. The Scheme provides
for impact assessment of the policy every year to ensure
corrective action.” According to UMHA, at least 7,740
militants have surrendered across seven northeastern States
(Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram,
Nagaland and Tripura) since
2007, including 143 who surrendered
in 2015.

Just as
the spurt in surrenders is a consequence of effective
CI operations, any lessening of pressure will result in
a reversal of this flow, as has been the case in the past,
when surrendered groups have gone back to ‘business as
usual’. The situation in Meghalaya – and in the wider
Northeast – has enormously improved, but remains extremely
unstable, with a number of surviving groups threatening
peace, and wide gaps in governance, development and the
outreach of public goods creating opportunities for militant
recruitment.

NEWS
BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia June
6-12, 2016

Civilians

Security
Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

BANGLADESH

Islamist Terrorism

2

0

4

6

Left-wing
Terrorism

0

0

1

1

Total (BANGLADESH)

2

0

5

7

INDIA

Assam

0

0

1

1

Left-Wing
Extremism

Bihar

1

0

0

1

Chhattisgarh

2

0

0

2

Total (INDIA)

3

0

1

4

PAKISTAN

Balochistan

3

0

1

4

FATA

2

0

0

2

KP

0

1

0

1

Punjab

0

0

1

1

Total (PAKISTAN)

5

1

2

8

Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.

BANGLADESH

BNP-JeI
men
had
links
with
recent
secret
killings
and
Government
had
substantial
evidence
in
this
regard,
says
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina:
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
on
June
8
said
that
Bangladesh
Nationalist
Party
(BNP)-Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI)
men
had
links
with
the
recent
secret
killings
and
the
Government
had
substantial
evidence
in
this
regard.
She
added
that
these
two
parties
have
changed
their
tactics
and
started
attacking
some
‘soft
targets,’
following
public
wrath
for
their
arson
attacks
early
2015.
But
the
perpetrators
would
be
brought
to
book
and
the
intelligence
and
law
enforcement
agencies
were
working
to
track
them
down.
Daily
Star,
June
9,
2016.

Foreign
intelligence
agency
along
with
some
local
politicians
involved
in
conspiracy
to
turn
country
into
failed
state,
says
Home
Minister
Asaduzzaman
Khan:
The
Home
Minister
Asaduzzaman
Khan
on
June
6
said
foreign
intelligence
agency
along
with
some
local
politicians
involved
in
a
conspiracy
to
turn
the
country
into
a
failed
state.
About
the
recent
incidents
of
repeated
murders
having
similarity
in
patterns,
he
told
reporters
that
these
were
‘targeted
killings’
and
part
of
the
conspiracy
hatched
in
home
and
abroad
to
destabilize
the
country.
He
further
said
that
the
Government
would
disclose
the
names
of
politicians
and
others
involved
in
the
conspiracy
after
obtaining
all
the
evidences.
New
Age,
June
7,
2016

INDIA

76
Naxals
killed
and
another
665
arrested
in
four
months
in
2016,
say
sources:
At
least
76
Naxals-Left-Wing
Extremists
(LWEs)
were
killed
and
another
665
arrested
by
Security
Force
personnel
in
the
LWE-hit
areas
in
the
first
four
months
of
2016,
Home
Ministry
officials
said.
Security
Forces
have
achieved
greater
success
in
tackling
LWEs
in
recent
times
and
there
was
30
per
cent
decline
in
violence
perpetrated
by
the
Maoists
this
year
(2016).
Altogether,
76
Communist
Party
of
India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist)
cadres
were
killed
between
January
and
April
this
year
in
comparison
to
15
killed
in
the
corresponding
period
of
2015.
As
many
as
665
Maoists
were
arrested
and
639
surrendered
in
the
first
four
months
of
2016
whereas
435
LWEs
were
arrested
and
134
surrendered
in
the
corresponding
period
of
2015,
a
Home
Ministry
official
said.
Times
of
India,
June
9,
2016.

Terror
being
“incubated”
in
India's
neighbourhood,
asserts
Indian
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi:
Indian
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
on
June
8
said
terrorism
was
being
“incubated”
in
India’s
neighbourhood
and
pressed
for
action
without
making
any
distinction
against
groups
like
Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT),
Taliban
and
Islamic
State
(IS)
who
share
the
“same
philosophy
of
hate,
murder
and
killings”.
In
his
address
to
the
joint
sitting
of
US
Congress,
he
said
terrorism
has
to
be
fought
with
“one
voice”
as
he
commended
the
American
Parliament
for
sending
out
a
clear
message
by
refusing
to
“reward”
those
who
preach
and
practice
terrorism
for
political
gains,
an
apparent
reference
to
the
blocking
of
sale
of
8
F-16
fighter
jets
to
Pakistan.
Business-Standard,June
9,
2016.

India
Ranks
141
in
Global
Peace
Index
with
cost
of
violence
USD
680-Billion
in
the
year
2015,
says
report:
India
is
ranked
low
at
141st
place
out
of
163
countries
on
a
Global
Peace
Index,
making
it
less
peaceful
than
countries
like
Burundi,
Serbia
and
Burkina
Faso,
with
violence
taking
a
USD
680-billion
toll
on
its
economy
in
2015.
India
has
moved
up
two
positions
from
2015
but
the
study
said
the
country's
peace
score
has
"deteriorated"
over
the
past
year
which
means
the
slight
rise
in
ranking
could
be
due
to
worse
performance
of
others.
The
report
said
that
in
the
last
decade,
India's
position
has
deteriorated
when
it
comes
to
peace
"by
5%
largely
due
to
deteriorations
in
the
indicators
measuring
UN
peacekeeping
funding
and
the
level
of
political
terror".
News18,
June
10,
2016.

'Action
to
be
taken
against
militants
holed
up
in
Bangladesh',
says
Meghalaya
Chief
Minister
Mukul
Sangma:
Action
against
militants
from
the
northeast,
including
Hynniewtrep
National
Liberation
Council
(HNLC),
taking
shelter
in
neighbouring
Bangladesh
is
imminent,
Meghalaya
Chief
Minister
(CM)
Mukul
Sangma
said
on
June
6.
Annoyed
over
the
aggressive
posture
of
the
HNLC
which
on
June
5
threatened
to
unleash
terror,
the
CM
said
the
government
wants
to
convey
a
message
to
the
people
that
with
a
friendly
neighbouring
country
and
positive
steps
being
taken
by
the
Centre
under
pressure
from
the
governments
of
the
northeast,
action
will
be
taken
against
HNLC
and
other
militant
groups
which
are
using
the
Bangladesh
soil.
Shillong
Times,
June
7,
2016.

NEPAL

New
partyNaya
Shakti
formally
announced
in
Kathmandu:
A
new
party,
Naya
Shakti
(New
Force),
under
the
leadership
of
former
Unified
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M)
leader
Baburam
Bhattarai,
has
been
formally
announced
amidst
a
gathering
of
thousands
of
people
convened
at
Dasharath
Stadium
in
Kathmandu
on
June
12.
Bhattarai,
who
is
also
a
former
Prime
Minister,
while
addressing
the
gathering,
announced
that
the
singular
focus
of
the
new
party
would
be
on
ensuring
speedy
development
and
economic
prosperity
in
the
country
within
a
matter
of
years.
Bhattarai,
who
was
second-in-command
in
the
former
rebel
Maoist
party,
announced
that
he
will
accept
the
decisions
to
be
taken
by
the
Truth
and
Reconciliation
Commission
(TRC)
in
conflict-era
cases.
My
Republica,
June
13,
2016.

All
parties'
attention
should
be
on
forging
national
consensus
rather
than
bringing
down
Government,
says
CPN-Maoist
Centre
Chairman
Pushpa
Kamal
Dahal:
Chairman
of
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
Centre
(CPN-Maoist
Centre)
Pushpa
Kamal
Dahal
during
a
press
conference
organized
in
Birendranagar
city
of
Surkhet
District
on
June
10
said
that
all
parties'
attention
should
be
on
forging
national
consensus
rather
than
bringing
down
the
Government.
Dahal
said
his
party
had
been
very
flexible
to
forge
consensus.
According
to
him,
the
national
consensus
was
essential
to
address
the
burning
issues
of
the
country
as
problems
facing
Tharu
and
Madhesi
communities,
reconstruction
activities
and
development
works.
My
Republica,
June
11,
2016

PAKISTAN

‘Bomb
TTP
hideouts
inside
Afghanistan’,
CoAS
General
Raheel
Sharif
tells
US
officials:
The
Chief
of
Army
Staff
(CoAS)
General
Raheel
Sharif
in
a
meeting
with
senior
United
States
(US)
officials
at
General
Headquarters
on
June
10
raised
the
demand
of
targeting
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
(TTP)
militants
and
their
chief
Mullah
Fazlullah
in
their
hideouts
in
Afghanistan.
Talking
to
Commander
Resolute
Support
Mission
in
Afghanistan
General
John
Nicholson
and
US
Special
Representative
for
Afghanistan
and
Pakistan
Richard
Olson,
General
Raheel
said,
"Pakistan
will
not
allow
Indian
and
Afghan
intelligence
agencies
to
foment
terrorism
in
the
country".
Dawn,
June
11,
2016.

‘Ensure
your
territory
is
not
used
for
planning
attacks
against
India’,US
tells
Pakistan:
The
US
on
June
9
has
told
Pakistan
to
ensure
that
its
territory
is
not
used
for
planning
attacks
in
India,
after
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
said
terrorism
is
being
"incubated
in
India's
neighbourhood".
"This
is
one
of
the
steps
that
the
US
is
encouraging
Pakistan
to
do
for
the
improvement
of
its
relations
with
India.
We
believe
that
Pakistan
and
India
stand
to
benefit
from
practical
cooperation
and
encourage
direct
dialogue
aimed
at
increasing
cooperation
and
reducing
tensions,"
State
Department
Deputy
Spokesman
Mark
Toner
said.
NDTV,
June
10,
2016.

US
is
a
'selfish
friend',
says
National
Advisor
to
the
PM
on
Foreign
Affairs
Sartaj
Aziz:
National
Adviser
to
the
Prime
Minister
on
Foreign
Affairs
Sartaj
Aziz
on
June
9
said
that
the
United
States
(US)
was
a
“selfish
friend”
that
always
curried
favor
with
Pakistan
when
self-interest
pressed
it
and
left
it
in
the
lurch
after
having
its
interests
served.
He
said
that
the
growing
US-India
proximity
was
a
cause
of
worry
for
Pakistan.
He
said
if
the
US
could
not
bring
peace
in
war-torn
Afghanistan,
why
it
was
expecting
Pakistan
to
do
this
difficult
job
within
the
shortest-possible
time.
The News,
June
10,
2016.

SRI
LANKA

Sri
Lanka
has
become
more
peaceful
and
ranked
higher
as
country
saw
strong
gains
in
both
internal
and
external
peace,
says
2016
Global
Peace
Index:
2016
Global
Peace
Index
released
on
June
8
said
that
Sri
Lanka
has
become
more
peaceful
and
ranked
higher
as
the
country
saw
strong
gains
in
both
internal
and
external
peace.
Sri
Lanka
was
up
by
18
places
to
rank
97th
with
a
score
of
2.133
in
the
2016
Global
Peace
Index
which
ranked
163
nations
according
to
their
‘level
of
peacefulness’.
In
2015,
Sri
Lanka
ranked
114th
out
of
162
countries.
Colombo Page,
June
10,
2016.

The South
Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that
brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on
terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on
counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on
related economic, political, and social issues, in the South
Asian region.